Crate.



PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

F. L. GONANT.

CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED APB.28,1906.

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FRED L. CONANT, OF CADILLAC, MICHIGAN.

CRATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed April 23, 1906. Serial No- 313,312.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED L. CONANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cadillac, in the county of Wexiord and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Crate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible crates and its object is to provide a simple, durable device of this character which will fold into a compact bundle, which can be quickly set up and which has a detachable bottom adapted to be supported at different distances from the top so that the crate can be used as a measure.

With the above and'other objects in View the invention consists of side and end Walls formed of slats and connected at their corners by intermediate slats all of said slats being pivotally connected so that the crate can be folded into a compact bundle with the side and end walls contacting throughout their lengths. The bottom of the crate is adapted to rest upon any of the slats of the end walls and has means for locking it in position and by adjusting this bottom section the crate can be used to measure vegetables, fruits,

etc.

The invention also consists of certain other novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough showing the bottom positioned so that the crate can be used to measure one half the quantity which can he held by the crate; and Fig. 3 is an edge view of the crate collapsed the bottom section being removed therefrom.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 11 are parallel slats the ends of which are spaced apart by blocks 2 projecting beyond the ends of the slats and the blocks at each end of the slats have openings 3 adjacent their ends through which projects an elongated U-shaped coupling rod 4 one arm of said rod also extending through openings 5 formed in the end of the slats 1. These blocks and the slats together with the coupling rods constitute a side panel and two of these panels are employed the same being permanently connected by end slats 6 which extend between the spacing blocks and are pivotally mounted on the coupling rods. The ends of the coupling rods are bent in opposite directions where they project above the upper slats of the side and end panels and engage tie plates 7 which rest snugly upon said slats.

By forming the walls of the crate in this manner the same can be folded upon each other Without the necessity oi uncoupling any of the slats and the oppositely disposed walls will contact throughout their length this being permissible by reason of the peculiar disposition of the spacing blocks 2.

Any one of the slats 6 at each end of the plate is adapted to constitute a support for the crate bottom 8 which is of suilicient length to overlap said slats and has cross cleats 9 adapted to fit between the supporting slats and prevent longitudinal movement of the bottom. A button 10 is mounted on the bottom adjacent each of the ends and alter said bottom has been properly positioned these buttons can be turned into position beneath the slats 6 directly above the bottom and will secure the parts in proper relation. By supporting the bottom on the lower slats 6 the entire crate can be filled and if the greatest capacity of the crate is one bushel the placing of the bottom on these lower slats will enable the crate to be used as a bushel measure. By placing the bottom on the intermediate slats 6 a half bushel or any other portion of a bushel will be accurately measured.

The crate can be quickly collapsed by releasing the buttons from engagement with the slats, removing the bottom from the crate and then foldingthe sides of the crate together.

The crate constitutes a very durable, neat and compact structure which is not only advantageous because of its collapsible nature but also in view of the fact that the bottom can be adjusted so as to enable the crate to be used as ameasure for fruits, vegetables, etc.

What is claimed is:

A crate comprising side and end panels, each panel being made up of a plurality of parallel slats of uniform width, the slats of the side panels being disposed in the same planes as the slats of the end panels, spacing blocks inter posed between the adjoining end portions of the slats of the side and end panels, U-shaped coupling rods extending through said end portions of the slats and through the spacing blocks said rods having outturned ends, tie plates engaged by and connecting said ends, a bottom section having its end portions insertible between and disposed to be supported by the slats of opposite panels, cross cleats on the bottom section adjacent its ends to engage between supporting slats to hold the bottom section in position, and buttons upon the end portions of the bottom section for wedging between the adjacent slats to bind said bottom section in position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED L. CONANT.

Witnesses ANTHONY E. HODGSON, MAGGIE E. Hnuron. 

